Fuel Queues in Lombok Cut into Working Hours and Incomes

Long queues of vehicles at public fuel stations across Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, are hampering productivity and reducing residents’ incomes as time is wasted waiting to refuel.

A ride-hailing driver named Odik, encountered while queuing for petrol in Mataram on Thursday, said the delays cause him to arrive late for pick-ups. He noted that passengers sometimes complain about the long wait or even cancel orders, directly cutting into his earnings.

Queues of motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles have been observed evenly across the island, from East Lombok to the city of Mataram, forcing drivers to wait for extended periods before continuing their journeys. At a fuel station on the Lingkar Selatan route in Mataram, motorcyclists reported spending 15 to 30 minutes in line just to obtain petrol. This half-hour wait is equivalent to the time needed to travel the 20-kilometre distance from Mataram to the Senggigi tourist area in West Lombok.

Another motorist, Hapis, who was also queuing at a Mataram fuel station, said the long waits were delaying various community activities. Residents expressed hope that fuel supply and services would soon return to normal so that productive time is no longer lost at petrol stations and economic activity can resume smoothly.

Pertamina has previously brought in 7,600 kilolitres of fuel to address the shortage on Lombok, delivered in two stages on 3 August 2026. The first vessel carried 2,100 kilolitres of Pertalite and 500 kilolitres of Pertamax, while the second transported 2,000 kilolitres of Pertalite and 3,000 kilolitres of Biosolar. Despite this large-scale supply, long vehicle queues persist at many fuel stations.

The head of the West Nusa Tenggara Energy and Mineral Resources Office, Samsudin, explained that queue lengths vary by location depending on consumer consumption patterns, the timing of customer visits, and user characteristics. He noted that at many fuel stations on Lombok, Pertalite consumers are predominantly motorcyclists, so when demand surges, motorcycle queues tend to be more visible than those of four-wheeled vehicles.